The transformed state could not be maintained for long. That was true for both Susanoo and Uesugi Ryu.
The two figures rapidly closed in, the longsword and katana colliding.
Their speed and strength had both skyrocketed. Compared to now, their previous battle had merely been a warm-up exercise.
A shockwave exploded outward like a nuclear blast, shattering every pane of glass in the nearby buildings.
Amid the violent screech of grinding metal, the dark red katana let out a mournful cry.
Uesugi Ryu did not care in the slightest. He pressed the blade downward, then smashed his fist into the back of the sword.
Susanoo was violently knocked backward. His legs sank deep into the ground.
Golden flames of aura erupted around him. Susanoo twisted his feet and shot off to the side.
Uesugi Ryu chased after him with his katana in hand.
He was unbelievably fast, practically flying across the ground.
Susanoo wanted to lure Uesugi Ryu away from the battlefield and buy as much time as possible for Najenda and the others to retreat.
The idea was good, but even after activating his secret technique, he was still slower than Uesugi Ryu.
Before they had even traveled one kilometer, Uesugi Ryu once again intercepted him.
The crisp clang of katana and sword colliding rang out.
Uesugi Ryu unleashed his violence without restraint. His slashes became faster and faster.
The blood trails left behind by the blades almost formed a cocoon of blood.
Susanoo was at a disadvantage in both speed and strength.
He struggled to fend off Uesugi Ryu's relentless storm of attacks.
Uesugi Ryu's gaze constantly shifted around. Offense was the best defense.
Under the fierce assault,
Susanoo's arms trembled slightly, and a tiny opening appeared.
Uesugi Ryu raised his blade and chopped straight down.
Susanoo's expression remained unchanged. The Yata Mirror suddenly appeared above his head.
The katana struck the Yata Mirror heavily.
A flash of light flickered across the mirror, and the exact same force was reflected back onto the blade.
Along with a mournful cry, the dark red katana in Uesugi Ryu's hand shattered.
Brilliant crystal fragments scattered through the air, and the reflected force forced him to stagger backward repeatedly.
Susanoo seized the opportunity and punched toward Uesugi Ryu's chest.
Beneath the scales, Uesugi Ryu's lips curled slightly upward.
His body flashed aside, dodging the punch sideways.
Then both hands instantly grabbed Susanoo's forearm.
Sharp claws pierced through muscle and bone as a teeth-grinding tearing sound rang out.
Uesugi Ryu raised his right leg and viciously kicked Susanoo in the abdomen.
The connecting muscle fibers between Susanoo's forearm and elbow snapped one after another.
Using the recoil force, Uesugi Ryu forcibly tore Susanoo's forearm off.
His claws were still covered in crimson energy.
Pain was not a factor that affected Susanoo's combat ability at all.
Holding the sword in his right hand, Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi stabbed toward Uesugi Ryu's chest like a venomous snake.
Uesugi Ryu showed no intention of retreating. He swung his arm and knocked the incoming sword aside.
Then he slightly lowered his body and charged toward Susanoo.
Susanoo's expression changed as he rapidly retreated.
At this point, he could no longer care about the energy consumption. After expending a massive amount of stamina, his arm rapidly regenerated.
Uesugi Ryu threw a punch.
Susanoo had no choice but to abandon Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi and throw a punch in return to block it.
Their fists collided continuously. The naked eye could barely keep up with the details of the battle.
"Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora!!!"
"Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!"
The terrifying force of their punches spread from their bodies into the surrounding environment.
The once tranquil forest instantly transformed into a field of craters.
There were no schemes or tricks involved. This was a pure contest of speed and strength.
After battling fiercely for some time, Susanoo was ultimately the first to reach his limit.
With only one-third of Najenda's life force, his endurance simply could not last very long.
Susanoo had already exited the Manifestation of the Calamity Soul state. His limbs had completely disappeared.
When dealing with a biological Teigu, the most important thing was finding the opponent's core.
After equipping Observer, Uesugi Ryu had identified Susanoo's core at a glance.
He had refrained from using this Teigu during the earlier battle because he did not want to rely on it too much.
Opportunities to fight a strong opponent were rare, so he treated it as training.
Uesugi Ryu extended his claw and stabbed it into Susanoo's chest.
Feeling the different sensation at his fingertips, Uesugi Ryu grabbed hold of Susanoo's core.
Then he pulled his arm out.
A blood-red hollow magatama appeared in his hand.
With the core removed, the final traces of emotion vanished from Susanoo's eyes.
As long as the core of a biological Teigu was not destroyed, it would not die.
At the moment, Susanoo could only be said to have fallen into dormancy due to excessive energy consumption.
As long as sufficient energy was supplied, he could awaken once more.
Uesugi Ryu looked at the magatama in his hand and tried storing it in the system space.
He shook his head and said somewhat regretfully,
"No good. Even though Pumpkin and Dual Blades worked before."
"Is it because of the special nature of biological Teigu?"
The scales slowly receded from his body, and Uesugi Ryu suddenly felt a bit chilly.
He casually tossed the red magatama into the air.
"Mephistopheles, catch it and keep an eye on it."
Mephistopheles flashed by.
Its claws precisely caught Susanoo's core.
Mephistopheles glanced at Uesugi Ryu and covered its eyes with one wing.
Then it said teasingly,
"Understood. Though Yue-ge, you're streaking again~"
Uesugi Ryu rolled his eyes at Mephistopheles and cursed with a laugh.
"Get lost!"
This transformation had made him way stronger, but all the clothes on his body were completely ruined.
After taking out another set of clothes from the system space and changing into them,
Uesugi Ryu headed toward the direction Najenda and the others had fled.